One of my favourite conferences (and so far I was incredibly lucky to have spoken at every edition) is SQLKonferenz, which is a middle-range sized conference, located in Darmstadt, Germany. Sized at 400-500 people, it is not the biggest conference in Europe, nor it is a regular SQLSaturday (at SQLKonferenz you have less beginners, and the content is delivered in the professional way), but it has the right spirit of the speakers & the attendees, while the organizers do their very best to take care of everyone. It has the right size, so you can easily find anyone participating and not too many people so that people start spreading and running away from the conference in order to find some privacy.
It is also guaranteeing a lot of fun, with every year bringing some very funny social stories to share. 
Yes, for me, the SQLKonferenz is top-notch fun from every possible angle.
For 2 editions (3 & 4 years ago respectively) I have co-delivered a precon (full day workshop) together with Andreas Wolter, focusing on the Columnstore Indexes, while his part was focused on the In-Memory, but in 2018 I will have a full-day workshop with advanced techniques for the Columnstore Indexes.
Developing further the originally presented content from the PASS Summit 2017, my workshop Columnstore Indexes: Practical Solutions & Techniques will be focusing on the practical side and improving the speed of the Columnstore Indexes.
Given that lately the workshops in the german-speaking space are more focused on the customers and that the last public workshop was 15 months ago, I suggest to use this opportunity to learn the Columnstore Indexes in action.
Here is the description of the workshop, given that the site is built in the way that I can not link to it:
Learn practical Columnstore Indexes tips and tricks such as which type to use, how and when to use Disk-Based vs. In-Memory or Clustered vs. Nonclustered, how to load data into Columnstore in the most efficient way, and how to get the best performance possible out of the Batch Execution Mode.
With a nod to each of the available SQL Server versions (2012, 2014, 2016, 2017 and the Azure SQLDB), this full day session focuses on practical solutions and applications of Columnstore Indexes and the Batch Execution Mode. We also review the limitations of both and learn how to solve some of those limitations.
Covering all available relational engines supporting Columnstore Indexes (including parts of the SQL DataWarehouse), this pre-conference will give you insight on why and when to use Columnstore Indexes, and when to take a step back and use a different type of technology.
Since November 2016 (and more specifically since Service Pack 1 for SQL Server 2016), Columnstore Indexes have been available for every Edition of SQL Server (including Express and Local editions). Join this workshop and become a part of the columnar revolution that is positively affecting database platforms around the world.
Beside the precon, I will also deliver a regular session on the difference and the importance of the Nonclustered vs Clustered Columnstore Indexes, so if you are there and you are interested in the topic – be sure to check it out!
See you at the end of February in Darmstadt!
